An EVO on Decaf
If the letters E-V-O get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand at attention, but Mitsubishi's legendary EVO VIII rally car is a tad out of your modest budget, the tri-diamond brand has some good news. A decaffeinated version has arrived.
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| It's easy to see the similarities to the new EVO VIII shown here at the New York International Auto Show. Check out the much more affordable 2004 Lancer Ralliart on the next page. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
The new Lancer Ralliart combines a decent dose of the EVO's dynamic styling and a few of its race proven components into a much more affordable package.
Regarding styling, it's not just the Ralliart version that gets the EVO inspired facelift. The entire Lancer line sports the racy bisected grille, a distinct styling statement that in one form or another adorns the entire North American Mitsubishi model range.
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| The Ralliart's superb 5-speed manual transmission of the is one of the slickest I've ever tested. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Other than distinct red-and-orange striped Ralliart badging, a highlight of this car is its superb 5-speed manual transmission. It was strengthened to handle the engine's increased torque while second gear received a triple synchro for incredible smoothness. It's one of the slickest of its kind I've ever tested, no exaggeration. That claim is validated by the fact that its shifter, featuring 12-percent less throw than the stock Lancer part, is pulled directly out of the EVO VIII.
If you must, Mitsubishi offers the Ralliart with an optional 4-speed automatic transmission. It's a pretty straight forward gearbox, with no manual-mode sequential shifter or even gated lever. While reasonably quick and fairly smooth in operation, much of the car's enthusiasm is sucked up in the homogenization process, a perfectly normal result of mating a 4-cylinder to a traditional style automatic.